Shoe construction



Feb. 26, 1963 D. A. RODA 3,078,600

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 30. 1960 BY y l aUnited States Patent Oice 3,078,600 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 3,078,600 SHOE CONSTRUCTION Dominick A. Roda, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Talon, inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania lFiled Nov. 3), 1960, Ser. No. 72,767 4 Claims. (Cl. 36-50) This invention relates to an improved shoe construction and more particularly, to a means of enhancing the appearance of shoes having a fastening device incorporated therewith of the type disclosed in the co-pending applica,F tion of Thane E. Hawkins and Stanley E. Weikel, Serial No. 16,723, filed March 22, 1960.

ln such a fastening device, there is provided generally a resilient wire member bent to substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm-like portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion. There is hingedly attached to this trunnion, a -bearinglike portion arranged at one end of a manipulating or actuating member. Between the manipulating member and the resilient arm portion there is arranged a rigid yoke-like member having one end thereof pivotally attached to the inner side of the manipulating member intermediate the length thereof. On the opposite end of this rigid member there is arranged a pair of spaced-apart hook-like portions which slidably engage the arm-like portions of the Wire member whereby the arm-like portions are moved toward or away from one another upon movement of the manipulating member. It is to a means which cooperates with the manipulating member to conceal the fastening device and the shoe opening in which it is positioned that the present invention relates.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present in vention to provide an improved shoe construction having means arranged therewith for concealing the fastening device of the type disclosed in the aforesaid patent application.

it is another object of the invention to provide an improved means for concealing such a fastening device which is simple and effective and at the same time inexpensive to apply so as to enhance the appearance of the shoe.

it is a more specific object of the invention to provide a iiap extension portion which cooperates with a loop portion carried by the manipulating member of the fastening device so as to cover the same when the fastening device is in its closed position.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a shoe having the improved closure of the present invention incorporated therewith showing both the fastening device thereof and the flap extension in their closed positions,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe similar to FIG. l, showing the fastening device in its closed position but with the flap extension in its disengaged or open position,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the front portion of the shoe showing both the fastening device andthe Hap extension in their open positions, 1 FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4--4 of FIG.

, and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the manipulating member of the fastening device showing the loop-like portion attached thereto.

.Referring more particularly to the drawings, and as more clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fastening dcvice shown incorporated with the improved shoe construction of the present invention will first be described. This fastening device consists generally of a relatively stiff resilient wire member 8 made of spring steel or some other suitable material which is bent to substantially V-shape so as to provide spaced-apart arm-like portions 9 and 10 integrally connected together at the lower end thereof by means of a substantially oval-shaped portion so as to provide a transversely extending trunnion por tion 16.

A rigid member 19 is provided which extends between a manipulating member 17 and the arms 9 and 10 of the lresilient wire member 8. This rigid member 19 consists preferably of two parts 20' and 21 telescopically arranged for adjusting the length thereof. On the outer end of the upper part 20, there is arranged a yoke-shaped portion having a pair of hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 which slidabiy engage with and are disposed around the respective arms 9 and 10 of the resilient wire member 8. These hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 are spaced apart so as to permit the insertion and removal of the arms 9 and 10 from there-between when desired. The outer end of the lower part 21 is pivotally connected preferably to a pair of spaced-apart bearing portions 24 struck up from the body of the manipulating member 17 intermediate its length, -by means of a transversely extending pin 25 positioned at a spaced distance from the hinged connection 18. Adjacent these bearing portions 24, there is also struck up from the body of the manipulating men1 ber 17, a pair of elongated parallel resilient portions or projections 26 which are spaced apart from one another a distance slightly less than the width of the part Z1 of the rigid member 19 with which they are adapted to Co-operate to lock the fastener in closed position in a manner to be described. rIhe portions 26 may, if desired, be extensions of the bearing portions 24.

T he lower part 21 of the rigid member 19 has upwardly and inwardly extending marginal flanges 12 so as to provide a channel therebetween for slidably receiving the inner end of the part 20. Adjacent the inner end of this part 21, there is arranged a pin-like projecting portion 29 which is disposed on the end of a leaf-like spring portion 30 struck up from the body portion of this part Z1. There is arranged on the upper part Z0 of the rigid member 1%, laterally extending marginal ange portions which are disposed in under the marginal anges and in the channel of the lower part 21. Centrally of the upper part 2t?, there is arranged a series of spaced-apart apertures 32 with which the pin-like projection 29 of the lower part 21 engages to adjust selectively the two parts 20 and 21 relative to one another so as to adjust telescopically the length of the rigid member 19.

It will be understood that the hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 grasp the arms 9 and 10 of the resilient member 8 and draw them together as the yoke-shaped portion of aoraeeo the upper part2tl of the rigid member i9 slides therealong thereby drawing the wing members 2 and 3 toward one another. The rigid member 19 and in turn the arms 9 and i@ are moved by the manipulating member 17 and it will be seen that the manipulating member makes the largest angle with both the resilient member S and rigid member 19 when the manipulating member is in its open position, as shown in FIG. 3, thereby permittingy the arms 9 and 1d to be spread apart. In the closed or locked position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, it will be seen that the manipulating member 17 makes the smallest angle with both the resilient member 8 and the rigid member 19 and is disposed substantially parallel thereto, thereby holding the arms 9 and itl inwardly against the inherent resilient force of these arms tending to spread them apart. In such closed position, it will be understood that the rigid member 19 is forced and positioned between the pair of elongated parallel inwardly extending projecting portions 26 of the manipulating member 17 which parallel portions are sprung and in engagement with the marginal tiange portions of the rigid member 19 so as to lock the manipulating member in locked position and `to prevent unintentional movement thereof.

Each of the arm-like portions 9 and It) of the wire member 8 are reversely bent, as at 6i?, so as to provide arm-like portions i and 62 which are spaced from the respective arms 9 and 10. On the free end of each of these arm-like portions 61 and 62, there is formed a hooklike portion 63 and 64, respectively, which detachably engage and cooperate with the wire member at the sides of the oval shaped porti-on adjacent the trunnion portion 16 at each side thereof to form in cooperation with the respective arms 9 and lt a closed loop-like portion, as more clearly shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings for the purpose of attaching the assembly to a shoe in a manner to be described.

According to the present invention, there is provided an elongated loop-like portion 70 having the ends thereof attached to the ends of the manipulating member 17, as at 71 and 72, in any suitable manner, so as to provide a space 73 between the outer side of the manipulating member 17 and the inner side of the loop-like portion 70 for receiving the extension 74 of the flap portion 3 of the shoe when the fastening device is closed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings. That is to say, this eX- tension 74 is inserted in the space 73 in under the loop 70 when the fastening device is closed so as to cover and conceal the fastening device and shoe opening and in such position it will be seen that it overlaps the opposed iiap portion 2.

The fastening device is assembled in the shoe in the following manner. There is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings the shoe of the present having a side instep opening, side instep or ap portions 2 and 3 to either side of the opening and an inner tongue T. The edges of these ap portions 2 and 3 bordering the opening are preferably folded upon themselves so as to provide longitudinally extending slots or openings tand 5, respectively, between the folds of the aps which slots extend throughout the length of the opening and the flap portions, as more clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

In assembling the fastening device in the shoe, the armlilte portions 6l. and d4 are inserted into the upper end of the respective slots 4 and 5 in the flap portions of the shoe and moved therethrough until the extreme outer ends thereof carrying the respective hook-like portions 63 and 64 protrude beyond the lower ends of the respective slots. The hook-lille portions 63 and 64 are then moved to position into the oval shaped portion of the wire member so that these hook-shaped portions are disposed around and engage the wire member adjacent the trunnion portion 16. As a result, it will be seen that each of the armlike members 51 and 62 in cooperation -with the respective arm-like portions 9 and 10 form a closed loop-like portion at each side of the shoe opening so as to securely provided an improved shoe construction having an efec- -tive fastening device incorporated therewith and having means for concealing the same so as to enhance materially the appearance of the shoe at a minimum cost.

While I have shown and described an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms maybe devised with the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a shoe, a pair of flap portions having their opposed edges spaced apart so as to provide an elongated opening therebetween, one of said flap portions having an extension carried thereby which is adapted to overlap the opening and the other of said flap portions, a fastening device arranged in said opening consisting of a pair of spaced apart arm-like members with one attached to the edge of each of said flap portions, a manipulating member pivotally attached to one end of said arm-like members, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member on the inner side thereof at a spaced distance from its pivotal connection with said arm-like members, and means carried by said manipulating member on the outer side thereof for receiving said extension when the fastening device is closed so as to conceal the opening and the fastening device.

2. In a shoe, a pair of hap portions having their op posed edges spaced apart so as to provide an elongated opening therebetween, one of said flap portions having an extension carried thereby which is adapted to overlap the opening and the other of said ap portions, a fastening device arranged in said opening consisting of a pair of spaced apart arm-like members with one attached to the edge of each of said flap portions, a manipulating member pivotally attached to one end of said arm-like member, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member on the inner side thereof at a spaced distance from its pivotal connection with said arm-like members, means arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member slida-bly engaging both of said arm-like members, and elongated loop portion carried by said manipulating member on the outer side thereof into and through which said flap extension is adapted to be disposed when the fastening device is closed so as to conceal the opening and the fastening device.

3. In a shoe, a pair of ap portions having their opposed edges spaced apart so as to provide an opening therebetween, each of said ilap portions having a longitudinally extending slot arranged in the marginal edge thereof which is open at each end, one of said flap portions having an extension carried thereby which is adapted to overlap the opening and the other of said flap portions, a fastening device arranged in said opening between the marginal edges of said flap portions, said fastening device comprising a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, the free end of each of said arm portions being reversely bent and extending down into and through the respective longitudinaliy extending slots in opposed marginal edges `of said flap portions, moans arranged on the extreme outer ends of each of said reversely bent portions which engage said wire member adjacent the trunnion portion to each side thereof whereby the said `wire member is detachably attached to the flap portions of the shoe, a manipulating member having means arranged on the lower end thereof for pivotally attaching the same to the trunnion portion of said wire member, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from lits pivotal connection with sa'id trunnion portion, means arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member slidably engaging the arms of said Wire member for opening and closing the assembly, means carried by said manipulating member which co-operates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member over the opening in the shoe, and means carried by said manipulating member `on the outer side thereof for receiving said flap extension when the fastening device is closed so as to conceal the opening and the fastening device.

4. The combination as dened in claim 3, wherein the means carried by the manipulating member on the outer side for receiving the iiap extension consists of an elongated loop portion aixed to the manipulating member into and through which said iiap extension is adapted to be disposed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A SHOE, A PAIR OF FLAP PORTIONS HAVING THEIR OPPOSED EDGES SPACED APART SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ELONGATED OPENING THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF SAID FLAP PORTIONS HAVING AN EXTENSION CARRIED THEREBY WHICH IS ADAPTED TO OVERLAP THE OPENING AND THE OTHER OF SAID FLAP PORTIONS, A FASTENING DEVICE ARRANGED IN SAID OPENING CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF SPACED APART ARM-LIKE MEMBERS WITH ONE ATTACHED TO THE EDGE OF EACH OF SAID FLAP PORTIONS, A MANIPULATING MEMBER PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO ONE END OF SAID ARM-LIKE MEMBERS A RIGID MEMBER HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID MANIPULATING MEMBER ON THE INNER SIDE THEREOF AT A SPACED DISTANCE FROM ITS PIVOTAL CONNECTION WITH SAID ARM-LIKE MEMBERS, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID MANIPULATING MEMBER ON THE OUTER SIDE THEREOF FOR RECEIVING SAID EXTENSION WHEN THE FASTENING DEVICE IS CLOSED SO AS TO CONCEAL THE OPENING AND THE FASTENING DEVICE. 